Tom and Marie Bridgeforth, Owners of City Wide of Central New Jersey, Look Back on Their Second Year in Business
If you could tell your City Wide start-up self anything from your 2-year-in-business self, what would it be?
Take a vacation before you start. Since you’ll be running your own business, you won’t have much free time in the first couple of years.
What is the best business decision you’ve made regarding your City Wide business?
We took a chance and acquired another company after only being open one year. While this has proven challenging, it has catapulted us ahead in our market further than we had imagined.
What’s an example of a professional mistake you’ve learned from or the hardest lesson you’ve learned?
We wrote a lot of new accounts – but in retrospect, I wish we had more closely monitored our client satisfaction in the beginning. Keeping this in mind, we have learned from this and now make sure it’s a priority.
For you, what is the best part about running your own business?
The freedom! We get to set our own course and do the things we believe in. It is refreshing to be able to launch a new strategy without needing corporate approval.
What is the most helpful tip you could give to a fellow City Wide franchisee?
Talk to the other franchisees, as City Wide is truly one big family. The franchisees who have been in the system for a long time can give you helpful advice. Additionally, the franchisees who have been a part of the system for as long as you can be a shoulder to lean on when you are having similar challenges.
Looking at the next five years, what’s one of your goals for your business?
As our business continues to grow, our number one goal is to make sure we are bringing the right talent into our organization. Continuing to hire strong personnel will be critical to our success.
Back
David Otis
Tim Akers
Meredith Cimino Erickson
Alan Matheson
Naila Matheson